Lack of safety, difference between education offered at private and government universities; and insufficient public transport options concern the youngsters

As 18,276 new voters have been registered in the age group 18-19 years and a total of 3,26,871 voters fall between 20 and 29 years, the youth vote bank is a major chunk that no political party can afford to ignore.(Sunil Ghosh/HT photo)

For students of Gautam Budh Nagar, lack of safety, poor infrastructure, inadequate modes of transportation and the gap between government and private institutes are some of the issues that should be the upcoming government’s priority.

As Uttar Pradesh is headed towards legislative polls, the students of Gautam Budh Nagar feel their issues have always been sidelined by the politicians.

However, as 18,276 new voters have been registered in the age group 18-19 years and a total of 3,26,871 voters fall between 20 and 29 years, the youth vote bank is a major chunk that none of the political parties can afford to ignore.

Lack of safety, especially of girls, is the biggest concern among the students of the district.

“I stay in Ghaziabad and I usually take shared autos after college hours. For women, travelling in the NCR is a big safety hazard as every other day we have to bear with eve teasers and perverts. I cannot even think of travelling after sunset. In my opinion, no government can call itself pro people unless they guarantee safety of women,” said Devika Yadav, a student of Government Degree College, Sector 39, Noida .

Recently, the UP government launched pink autos to offer safe commute to women. However, many students termed it a failure.

“The pink autos have become regular autos and the idea behind such a service has gone for a toss. Auto drivers usually pick up male passengers and many female students have suffered harassment in such autos as well,” said Rama Sharma, another student.

Even in institutes located in Greater Noida, safety while commuting is the biggest concern among students.

“Students have to depend on buses and autorickshaws for travel to the Knowledge Park. The area is deserted and that increases the vulnerability of getting attacked or groped. Delhi-NCR has a poor reputation when it comes to violence against women,” said Alka Kumari, a student of ITS engineering college.

Many students also raised the issue of the gap between government and private institutes or central boards and state boards.

“We did our matriculation from UP board where schools never had proper lab facility or infrastructure. When we joined the university, it was extremely difficult to keep up with the pace of our classmates as they studied in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools,” said Chirag Chandiwal, vice president, students’ union, government PG College.

“I stay in Mamura village where many students are first generation graduates. The level of education we receive in government colleges is far inferior to the one given in private institutes. The government should guarantee that education will be free and fair to all sections,” said Anup Kumar, a third year student at Government PG College.

Students have also suggested digitalisation of education as one of the primary concerns for the upcoming government.

“Our PM is also pushing us towards digitalisation in every sphere of life then why should the government institutes lag behind with paper work and bureaucracy. Colleges should develop apps for students where they can check their attendance, syllabus and inputs from teachers. We should strive towards e-education,” said Prakash Yadav, a student of Gautam Budh University.